Problems of Recognition In Making Erasmus

PRIME – Problems in Recognition in Making Erasmus is a Europe wide research project, supported by the European Commission.

Reasons behind the PRIME Project
Students in Europe enjoy great opportunities of mobility through exchange programs such as the Erasmus Programme. However, they still have to face various barriers and obstacles, a continuous problem of course recognition among them.

Erasmus Student Charter states Erasmus students’ right of an obligatory learning agreement prior to departure and full recognition of their study courses abroad by their home higher education institution upon return. In the same time the 2006 and 2007 editions of the annual survey of the ESN reveal that slightly more than half of all Erasmus students receive full recognition of their courses taken abroad. This is supported by Trend V report of the European University Association (EUA) stating that 47% of higher education institutions in Europe admit that some their students have problems with the recognition of their credits gained abroad.

Clearly this situation requires more attention and more effective solutions. For this reason ESN with the financial support of the European Commission conducted in-depth qualitative research to point out the true causes of the above mentioned obstacles and to provide suggestions for improvements.

PRIME & ESN Finland
PRIME project will be carried out by both the participating ESN sections & partners and National Coordinator in Finland during the period of January- April 2011. The outcomes of the research are reported to International PRIME Research Team, followed by local and International Conferences.

ESN Finland hereby urges all the universities, sections and associations active in the area of student mobility to cooperate and join us in making Erasmus a better experience.

The questionnaires have now been published, you can find them in the following links:

• For the students version, click here.
• For the Institutions of Higher Education verson, click here.

For more information, please contact the National Coordinator for PRIME: Vivian Maar, prime@esnfinland.eu or consult the website of the project in http://www.prime.esn.org/